UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

do any of you people clean your engines? i've seen taxi drivers jet washing their engines in the garages, is that wise?

in the good old VW handbook it says after washing your engine you should apply anti corrison paint as in the washing process the stuff on from new will be rinsed off.

if using this what do you apply it to/not to (i guess its just metal parts but please entertain me!)? which is the best? and where from?

also what do you use in the cleaning process?

my dubs mint at the moment and i want to keep it that way.

thanks

Yes I clean my engine but not with a pressure washer - think of the damage you could cause, all those electrics - ohh err missus!

I wipe down the components with a damp cloth, if any of the plastic casings have faded a quick going over with Wonder wheels dash trim is in order.

I wash the exposed trim under the bonnet being careful not to touch the sound proofing material and that's it . No hoses - No pressure washers - No problems

a bottle of Gunk and a brush do the trick nicely

Gunk? that sounds interesting. what is it?

very very good degreacer
ps do it on a warm engine and cover things like the ignition system and alarm and any exposed sensors

Tip: At Audi dealers they use Spray Maintenance (AKA WD40) to clean the plastic on your engine bay when you have a service.

WD40 acts like black to black... it will slightly clean, and will thn leave a nice shine on rubber hoses. best to spray it on a cloth and then wipe it on.

i used gunk to get rid of all the factory wax in my 'bay. the paint underneath was really shiney and fresh!!

other than wd40 you can use old engine oil which is free but doesnt last as long however i think it gives a deeper shine

I just use turtle wax extreme tyre black on anything rubber or plastic!! tyres, trim, window rubbers, hoses, plastic on the engine.....

nice one!

but do any of you use anti corrosion compound?

"quick" quote from the vw handbook

"in the winter when the vehicle is being driven frequently on salted roads, good anti-corrosion treatment is very important. for this reason the entire engine compartment and the plenum chamber should be thoroughly cleaned before and after the salting period and then preserved so that and the salt cannot have a damaging effect."

it goes on to say...

"if the engine compartment is cleaned with grease removing solutions or if one has the engine washed, the anti-corrosion compound is nearly always removed as well. it is therefore essential to ask for durable preservation of all surfaces, seams, joints and components in the engine compartment to be carried out."

what do you think?
and what is a plenum chamber?

i dont think you need to use anti corrosion compound. i mean, do you use it on the outsid of your car? If you just rinse the engine and 'bay over when you clean the outside of the car then everything should be hunky dorey!

As for the plenum chamber, I'm not too sure.... #I know that my old Metro Turbo had a plenum chamber... I thought it was the bit above the carb just before the inlet manifold?????? :dunno:

the plenium chamber is the throttle body

so its where all the fuel and air meet?? cos my metro definatly didnt have a throttle body...

yeah

ive just wiped down the engine and used WD40 on the plastics and it looks fantastic. i guess the corrison stuff isnt worth doing then. just dont leave salt on it to corrode it in the first place!

cheers for the advice everyone